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Well, racing bikes outside had a good run. In 1869 it was high-wheelers gentlemanly glove-slaps:[PDF]In 1903 came the first-ever Tour de France:And for some reason to this day cyclists keep racing against horses: How is that fair? Shouldn't Casper also have to pull a passenger?Actually, for it to be truly fair he should have to pull a horse.Regardless, after well over a century and a half of...

Good morning! This is just a quick note to let you know that my latest column for Outside is up, and you'll be either pleased, incensed, or indifferent to find that I've set aside more important themes in favor of some whimsy:I didn't mention that you should always wear a helmet when dating a non-cyclist, but I assumed that was obvious.And don't worry, if it's too saccharine for you, you can...

Great news! The biplane has landed:So far, response from social media has been enthusiastic: pic.twitter.com/hjkrzCNJuv— Victory Chimp (@VictoryChimps) March 15, 2018 Obviously the first question that comes to mind is a highly technical one, and it is as follows:Why???Duh, because gravel, that's why:The Hover bar is Canyon’s totally unique integrated carbon cockpit that the new Grail gravel...

When last we met, I'd appended the following video to the end of my post: And I now see that this video has made the local news down there in the Miami area:Welch said he is not mad at the driver, who stayed at the scene, and helped him get medical care. He said he posted the video of the accident on YouTube to make others aware."Here we have a chance to educate drivers and also educate...

Firstly, there's a lot going on in today's Bike Forecast, including a spate of coyote attacks just north of the city to which I was alerted by Leroy's Dog:Police say around 2 p.m. Thursday, a coyote attacked a woman riding a bicycle on South County Trailway.It missed her, biting her back tire instead.I hope she was running tubeless.Anyway, most of the places described in the story are along the...

When it comes to cycling, New York City can be heaven and it can be hell. You know all about our bike share program and our still-expanding network of bike lanes. You also know about the NYPD's "no criminality suspected" approach to dealing with drivers who run down cyclists. What you may not know is that, when it comes to bike racing, this city is a veritable paradise.Beginning in March,...

Well, I must be about to retire or die, because CyclingTips have just run pretty much the entire story of my life:Spare a thought, won't you, for my interviewer Peter Flax, who had to endure two (2) brutal hours on the phone with me:His name is Eben Weiss, but most cyclists know him better as Bike Snob, a lacerating blogger and book author who has spent a decade taking aim at everything from...

Well the snowstorm they've been promising is arriving in fits and starts:And I'm also curating the vomitorial stylings of a sick three year-old:Which can only mean one thing...my training is in serious jeopardy!Just kidding:No, I'm not that far gone--though I do keep a training journal:At this point however it's developing into a real "The Shining" situation:Yeah, things are getting really...

Hey, look at that, I've got a new grouping of words over on the Outside website!I'm sure it will inspire much "Vehicular Cyclist Exceptionalism" as well as various quasi-libertarian comments about "personal responsibility."Speaking of which, here's a story about New Zealanders questioning the absurdity of helmet laws:Note the co-anchor foregoes his helmet when he rides to the "deery."I have no...

Cycling: it's the closest you can get to the sensation of flight without leaving the ground. (Not counting the inhalation of spray-on deodorant through a bath towel, of course.) Whether you're riding to work, riding to the store, or just riding for no reason at all, you feel like you're miles above the ground, and once you're seduced by the kinetics of riding a bike you need it to feed your...

First things firstly, here's a new Outside column in which I solve all society's problems yet again:If only kids spent more time on bikes then maybe they'd finally give up pernicious pursuits such as listening to rock music, disrespecting their elders, and wearing sneakers and dungarees.I mean really, calling politicians on their bullshit in the wake of the Parkland shooting after governmental...

It's Friday, and as usual my latest Outside column is gestating inside whatever magic machine they have that puts it onto the Internet. Rest assured that as soon as it's rendered I will duly flog it here. So watch this space:(When I snap my fingers you will wake up thinking you are Mario Cipollini.)In the meantime, I'd like to apologize for my extremely poor performance on this morning's...

So say the Giro d'Italia organizers, who will run three stages in Israel in 2018:The Giro d’Italia cycling race will begin in Israel next year, marking the first time any leg of the sport’s three Grand Tours will take place outside of Europe.Organisers said on Thursday that details of the exact route of the three stages to be held in Israel will be announced next week, with Italian and Israeli...

Good morning!Somehow I've found myself here:(#whatSPFyourunning)Given this, I'll be even more aloof than usual this week. In fact, I've even signed off the Bike Forecast until Monday, since filing daily dispatches about cycling in New York City from the beach just didn't seem ethical...though if I were able to get away with it then maybe I could leave the city permanently and nobody would be...

Firstly, I'd like to thank the New York Cycling Club for inviting me to speak at their monthly membership meeting last night:Which took place at a pub in Times Square:Not only did I meet a lot of great people, but I also got two (2) beers out of it--plus an entire plate of food!Hey, when you're a bike blogger you've got to learn how to live hand to mouth, and I'm not above ranting for my...

Further to yesterday's post, in which I mentioned the Freds who went out for hurricane repeats:A commenter commented thusly:Bob said...The bunny hopping Fred in Ukraine kit is apparently Lucas Brunelle.September 12, 2017 at 6:47 AM"Ha ha," I thought, until I looked into it, and guess what?Come ride with us on Sunday on the beach for the tailwind of your life #miamisucksdontcome #rushracingteam...

Hello!Wow, what time is it? I have no idea. It's like I live in a sensory deprivation tank these days.Anyway, just a couple quick things. Firstly, I've got a new column up on the Outside web presence:Sure, you may have had it up to your helmet strap with the subject of helmets, but I daresay reading this is worth it for the story of the McDonough Street Terror alone:They say when the wind...

Great news! Or, if you're not a fan of pro cycling, news! Yes, after a lengthy sponsor hunt that included a crowdfunding campaign, Cannondale-Drapac have finally found a new co-sponsor:Edward Hult, CEO North America at EF Education First commented: “We are honoured to begin working alongside Slipstream Sports, Cannondale, Drapac, and all of the wonderful partners at Slipstream Sports to keep...

Good morning!First things first, I've got a new Outside column on Outside's website:It's all about my experiences riding the Yuba Supermarché and the sociological implications thereof...though yesterday I officially returned the bike because they asked for it back. This involved a 20-mile ride from my Bronx estate to 718 Cyclery in Brooklyn, who you should be sure to visit for all your...

At some point in the not-too-distant future I suspect Outside will be publishing my latest bloviation, and once they do that you can be sure I'll be back here to rub it in your face.In the meantime, I return to you from a morning road ride in which I was, for the first time in my life, the victim of Fred Rage: No, there wasn't any actual physical "violence," as you see above, nor did he throw...

So where were you when the Great Strava Blackout Of '18 hit?That's right, yesterday afternoon the Fredliverse reeled as the world's foremost digital wank bank was, for a tortuous stretch of time, "temporarily unavailable". Even if you weren't a Strava user you knew something was amiss, as Freds and Fredericas all over the world suddenly dismounted and stood there like automatons seeking a...

Sorry if I've been less than punctual, but it's been a hectic week what with getting the kids back to school. (I've got seventeen (17) children in eighteen (18) different schools, so you can only imagine how complicated that is.) Also, after ten (10) years of bicycle blogging I recently decided I've transcended punctuality and can do whatever whenever, so I take it back and am not sorry at...

***Two things: 1) Read the Bike Forecast; B) Register for the NYC Century; 3) That's it, I said only two things, remember?***Remember back in the hindquarters of the Dachshund of Time:When athletes knew how to dress?Pugilists wore tights and sashes and didn't skimp on the hair cream:Swimmers wore stripey "prison chic" unitards:And cyclists dressed like Waldo from "Where's Waldo?"Well you'll be...

For as long as we've been sentient we've pondered the purpose of existence. Indeed, literature, art, and song all resonate with cries of "What does it all mean, anyway?" Is life merely a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing? Should we be content to cultivate our gardens? Are we destined to boogie oogie oogie until we just can't boogie anymore?Nobody...

We're five days into September, the Bike Forecast is operational once again, my Outside column never stopped, and here I am typing hand-curated content into this here online wordhole.Having said all that, the first person to point out that #crossiscoming gets a shot right to whatever their particular genitalway is:(Some douchebag taking a shot to whatever particular genitalway he has.)Speaking...

Bike lanes. They've been compared to Nazis:They've been accused of inducing a "dizzying type of vertigo" (as opposed to the non-dizzying type?):And now, finally, the former mayor of San Luis Obispo has finally "gone there" and compared them to out-and-out rape:"The rape will not be performed by a male penis, but by thousands of inanimate bicycles."Weirdest off-key description of proposed bike...

Okay, so come Tuesday I'll finally be firing up this whole bike-blogging media machine again, at which point the whole rickety contraption will start sputtering to life in a cloud of putrid black smoke. In the meantime, however, here's my latest column for Outside, which is all about why short rides are awesome:Yes, in case you didn't know, long rides are totally déclassé should be consigned...

Firstly, I'm pleased to report I've got a new Outside column live on the Internet, and it's about how our Cracker Jack box system of licensing is killing people:In it I make reference to nonagenarians driving muscle cars, and interestingly I'd already completed and filed the column when Captain High Pants and his chihuahua copilot launched his Camaro into someone's house:According to police, a...

As much as I'd like to kick up my feet and hang around here with you all day I'm afraid I can't, because this arrived from Jones and I need to perform some rigorous product testing:In case it's not obvious enough for you, that's a handlebar bag, and my rigorous product testing will involve affixing it to my bars, putting some stuff in it, and going for a ride.Hey, I'd find a different job that...

Good morning! I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right that's fantastic, and if you're wrong you'll see putting the hammer down.Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and cover your answers!--Wildcat Rock Machine1) What kind of tracks are these?--Raccoon--Dog--Rat--Surly's new 36-inch wide "Paw Patrol" tire(He's sad...